Metal(loid)s Spatial Distribution, Accumulation, and Potential Health Risk Assessment in Soil-Wheat Systems near a Pb/Zn Smelter in Henan Province, Central China

Ling Yang, Qiang Ren, Shiji Ge, Zhiqiang Jiao, Wenhao Zhan, Runxiao Hou, Xinling Ruan, Yanfang Pan and Yangyang Wang
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Ling Yang: National Demonstration Center for Environmental and Planning, College of Geography and Environmental Science, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
Qiang Ren: Key Laboratory of Geospatial Technology for the Middle and Lower Yellow River Regions, Henan University, Ministry of Education, Kaifeng 475004, China
Shiji Ge: Key Laboratory of Geospatial Technology for the Middle and Lower Yellow River Regions, Henan University, Ministry of Education, Kaifeng 475004, China
Zhiqiang Jiao: Henan Engineering Research Center for Control and Remediation of Soil Heavy Metal Pollution, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
Wenhao Zhan: National Key Laboratory of Human Factors Engineering, China Astronaut Research and Training Center, Beijing 100094, China
Runxiao Hou: Henan Engineering Research Center for Control and Remediation of Soil Heavy Metal Pollution, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
Xinling Ruan: National Demonstration Center for Environmental and Planning, College of Geography and Environmental Science, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
Yanfang Pan: National Demonstration Center for Environmental and Planning, College of Geography and Environmental Science, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
Yangyang Wang: National Demonstration Center for Environmental and Planning, College of Geography and Environmental Science, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 5, 1-12

Abstract: To understand the influence of Pb/Zn smelter on surrounding environment, 110 soil and 62 wheat grain samples (62 paired samples) were collected nearby a Pb/Zn smelter in Jiaozuo City, Henan Province, China. The content and spatial distribution of metal(loid)s in the soil-wheat system, and the potential health risk via consumption of wheat grains were determined. Results showed that the average content of Pb, Cd, As, Cu, Zn, and Ni in soil were 129.16, 4.28, 17.95, 20.43, 79.36, and 9.42 mg/kg, respectively. The content of Cd in almost all soil samples (99.1%) exceeded the national limitation of China (0.6 mg/kg). Spatial distribution analysis indicated that atmospheric deposition might be the main pollution source of Pb, Cd, As, and Zn in soil. In addition, the average content of Pb, Cd, As, Cu, Zn, and Ni in wheat grain were 0.62, 0.35, 0.10, 3.7, 35.77, and 0.15 mg/kg, respectively, with the average Pb and Cd content exceeding the national limitation of China. The average bioaccumulation factor of these metal(loid)s followed the following order: Zn (0.507) > Cu (0.239) > Cd (0.134) > Ni (0.024) > Pb (0.007) > As (0.006). Health risk assessment indicated that the average noncarcinogenic risk of children (6.78) was much higher than that of adults (2.83), and the carcinogenic risk of almost all wheat grain is higher than the acceptable range, with an average value of 2.43 × 10 −2 . These results indicated that humans who regularly consume these wheat grains might have a serious risk of noncarcinogenic and carcinogenic diseases.

Keywords: health risk assessment; metal(loid)s; soil; spatial distribution; wheat (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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